Is Your Child Stuck in Fight-or-Flight Mode?
Does it feel like your child is always stuck with their foot on the gas pedal? 🚦 Maybe they struggle with anxiety, restless sleep, frequent illness, or challenging behaviors... but what does it all mean? These signs often point to a nervous system stuck in constant “fight or flight” mode! In this video, Dr. Drake dives into why some children get stuck in this cycle of stress, and how an overactive nervous system can disrupt essential functions like digestion, immunity, and development. Addressing the nervous system is often the key to calming this Perfect Storm of stress, and Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care can make all the difference! 💪
As both a parent and a chiropractor at Innate Family Chiropractic, I see many children struggling with unresolved anxiety, restless sleep, weakened immunity, and chronic inflammation—despite parents’ best efforts to support their health. These challenges often spill over into behavior, leading to frequent meltdowns, difficulty self-regulating, and an overall sense of being stuck in survival mode.
This ongoing struggle may be a sign that their nervous system is caught in a persistent stress response, preventing it from properly regulating and recovering.
We call this phenomenon the “Perfect Storm”—a cascade of stressors that can begin as early as pregnancy, overloading a child’s nervous system and keeping their fight-or-flight mode constantly engaged. Instead of switching between activation and relaxation as it should, the nervous system stays locked in a state of stress, disrupting balance and overall well-being.
The human nervous system is designed to toggle between “fight-or-flight” (sympathetic activation) and “rest-and-digest” (parasympathetic recovery). Temporary stress triggers a natural response—quickened breathing, muscle tension, and a surge of cortisol to handle the perceived threat. But once the danger passes, the body should return to a relaxed state.
However, when stress becomes chronic, the nervous system loses its ability to self-regulate, keeping the body in constant overdrive. This dysregulation can manifest in many ways, including:
🔸 Emotional and Behavioral Struggles – Anxiety, mood swings, meltdowns, and difficulty with emotional regulation.
🔸 Cognitive and Learning Challenges – Trouble focusing, hyperactivity, and sensory overwhelm.
🔸 Physical Symptoms – Headaches, body tension, tummy aches, low energy, and immune system weakness.
🔸 Growth and Development Delays – Slowed progress in motor skills, speech, and other developmental milestones.
If your child is battling these challenges, and it feels like you’ve tried everything with little success, nervous system dysregulation and subluxation may be the missing link you’ve been searching for. Chiropractic care focuses on restoring proper nervous system function, allowing the body to regulate and heal as it was designed to.
We’d love to connect and support you on this journey.